Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again
by The Phantom of Hogwarts
Summary: The war is over. Harry's defeated Voldemort, but is alone in the world, and needs a parental type figure there for him. What happens when Snape finds him and helps him? Could that man possibly fill that role? See story for more.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Pshaw. If I owned HP, I'd be filthy rich. And not writing this fan fiction.

Summary: Set in Harry's seventh year. HBP didn't happen; Lupin, Tonks, and other Order members have died. Voldemort is dead. No Horcruxes…Yeah….

''thoughts

""dialogue

Enjoy! Onward to the story. Whoo.

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'Wow,' Harry thought, as he sat on the Astronomy tower, while everyone else was eating in the Great Hall. 'Dumbledore sure has some weird and stupid ideas. But to invite the students' parents? Sometimes I think he _is_ mad.'

He lifted the bottle of Firewhiskey to his lips. He had gotten it from the Weasley twins earlier on in the year, and was only now drinking it. 'Shouldn't be drinking it at all.'

He sighed. It was going to be a long night.

------QUISH------

There was too much noise for Severus Snape to be in the Great Hall. He finally wandered to the place where he found solitude as a student; the Astronomy tower.

Snape was surprised, albeit he didn't show it, that a student was there with Firewhiskey. He was even more surprised to find that the student was Harry Potter.

"Potter," he snarled, "what are you doing out here? And with Firewhiskey, no less!"

He saw the boy jerk and drop the bottle, causing it to smash from the impact.

Harry smiled sadly. "Hullo, professor. I just wanted to come up here and think for a bit, you know?"

Snape sneered. "What, Potter? Not wanting to see your adoring fan club?"

"Not really, sir." Harry stood up, but swayed on the spot. He would've fallen if Snape hadn't caught him.

"Wonderful. I get to deal with a drunk Potter! Joy!" The sarcasm in Snape's voice was so obvious, it was pointless. "Come on, Potter. You're coming with me."

The only thing Harry remembered was Snape helping him walk down the corridors of Hogwarts towards the dungeons.

------QUISH------

Harry woke up the next morning with a horrible migraine, and he smelled breakfast. He looked at his surroundings, and saw a nice, semi-large room decorated in earthy colors.

"Potter. You're awake. Good. Drink this, it will help your headache." Snape held out a vial for Harry to take, who accepted it great fully and downed it. "Breakfast. If you want any of _my_ cooking, of course, Potter." Snape set a plate down on the small coffe table in front of the couch Harry was sitting on.

"Thank you, sir."

Snape nodded. "You'll be wanting to return to your friends, won't you, Potter?"

"Maybe…. I'm not sure. And it's Harry."

"What?" asked Snape, clearly taken aback, even if he didn't show it.

"Harry. Call me Harry."

"I suppose it wouldn't kill me… Now, get out of my sight before I decide to take points."

"Yes, sir. Goodybe, sir." Harry walked towards the door, but paused and said over his shoulder, "Thanks for your help, sir. I appreciate it a lot."

"You're welcome. Harry."

Harry smiled at Snape, waved, and walked back to the common room.

Author's Notes:

Yeah. I know it's horrible. I'm trying, though, so please bear with me. And if you feel like I'm rushing this, I'm sorry, but you must keep on mind that it's my story and I'll write it how I like; also, it won't be very long.. I'm new to this and everything, so, yeah. Thanks for reading, though!


	2. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Nope. Not now, not ever. __  
__A/N: Review! Please! I want to know what you people think; it can be anonymous or not, just review. Okays? Well, here's the first real chapter. Part of this chapter was written by DebstheSnapeFan, with my own mixed in. I did fix mistakes and errors, so here you go!_  
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Harry walked into the Gryffindor common after saying the password to the portrait. He was, however, immediately bombarded by Ron and Hermione.   
"Harry! Where were you?" Hermione asked, worry evident in her voice.  
"Yeah, mate. We were worried you might have been kidnapped or something!" Ron's tone of voice was the same as Hermione, but with a hint of joking in it.  
Harry knew they cared about him. They were like his brother and sister, but that wasn't what he needed. What he needed was a father or, at least, someone like that.  
"I was out. I'm fine. Really, I am. Can you leave me alone for a bit?"  
Harry pleaded, hoping he could figure out what Snape was trying to do.  
"Alright, mate." Ron replied, but it was obvious he was reluctant so say it, as was Hermione.   
"Okay, Harry, but if you need to talk we're here, alright?" Of course, only the brilliant Hermione would say that.  
'She wouldn't understand, though.' Harry thought. 'She doesn't know what it's like to not have a family, or at least one that loves you.'  
"Alright, Hermione. I'll see you guys later." Harry walked back out and to the Room of Requirement.  
--QUISH--   
Severus Snape sat with his head in his hands, wondering what he should do.  
Should he help the boy? He didn't know. Besides, he didn't know one thing about helping a child, for Merlin's sake! It couldn't be that bad perhaps, could it? Perhaps he could learn to be a father while Harry learns to be a son...  
So, Severus Snape walked down the corridors towards his dungeons thinking of what he could do. He said the password 'I love Potter', and entered his office. No, he didn't love Potter; he just used it because no one would think he would use that as his password. He hadn't been sorted into Slytherin for nothing, you know.  
--QUISH--  
The next morning was Sunday. Harry thanked Merlin; he wasn't up to going to classes right now. He was still thinking about Snape, when he felt a pair of eyes on him. He looked up at the staff table, and saw that Dumbledore was watching him. When the older man noticed Harry was looking at him, he smiled. Harry gave a small smile back, and turned to talk to his friends. He still wasn't happy that Dumbledore had ignored him in his fifth year. No matter what excuse he gave him, he still felt betrayed. Or was that a feeling of being abandoned? He didn't know. He couldn't tell one emotion from another anymore.  
"Harry, are you feeling better?" Only Hermione.  
"Yeah, Hermione, a lot better. How are you?"  
"I'm great, Harry." She then suddenly chastised Ron and Harry, saying, "You know, you two really should start studying. N.E.W.T.s are this year!"  
Ron groaned, polished off his plate, and told Hermione, "C'mon, 'Mione!  
It's closer to the end of the year. We've got time to study!"  
Harry laughed, Hermione huffed indignantly, and Ron flicked a piece of bread at Harry. Soon, they were all laughing. 'It feels like forever since we've had this much fun.'   
They quieted down after a few minutes, and Harry felt a presence behind. He turned, and saw that it was Dumbledore.  
"Harry, my boy, would you mind accompanying me to my office?" Honestly, how could the man be so cheerful? Especially when he was feeling like he could jump off the astronomy tower just to get a break. Hogwarts no longer felt like home, not anymore. If it wasn't for his friends he didn't think he would stay. He didn't realize, however, in a few months time he would have the best reason for staying; a father figure.  
"Yes, sir. I'll meet you back in the common room." Harry said, looking at his friends.  
They soon entered Dumbledore's office. Harry saw Snape standing there, as if he had been waiting.  
"Hello, Professor Snape. Professor Dumbledore, what did you want me for?"  
"Ah, actually, Harry, Professor Snape wanted to say something to you."  
Harry hesitated, and then nodded. "Yes, sir." He replied wondering, what it was that Snape wanted. Was this because he had been drinking fire whiskey and gotten drunk? They surely were not about to expel him, where they?   
"Harry, I was wondering if maybe we could start over. I apologize for everything I've done to you for the past six years."   
"Why would you want to do that? Could it be because you finally realized I'm more Slytherin than I let on? Or because you realized I'm not my father? Took you long enough, that's for sure!" Harry was fuming. He didn't know why, he just needed to get it out, vent out his anger for his childhood (which could have been prevented), and for his life at Hogwarts.  
"Now, Harry, I think that this is a little uncalled for and-" Dumbledore was cut off when Harry suddenly rounded on him.  
"And you!" he yelled, "If you hadn't left me there, I wouldn't… My life wouldn't have been so horrid! And every summer you sent me back! I will never forgive you for that, never! No matter how nice or friendly we are! The only reason we got on is because we are on the same side! And if I hadn't been 'buddy buddy' with you, I would have been accused of going dark!" snapped Harry, glaring at Dumbledore but betrayal was clear in his eyes.  
Both Snape and Dumbledore had hurt looks (Dumbledore more so than Snape) on their faces.  
"Harry, please. I'm sorry for leaving you with the Dursleys, Harry. I'm so sorry." said Dumbledore, looking sad.  
"Maybe, headmaster, sorry doesn't make up for sixteen years in my own, personal hell! Or the fact that you knew and I begged each and every year!" Harry snapped.  
"Potter! Hold your tongue! Why must you dwell on the past, boy? Don't you understand that living in the past will get you nowhere?!" snapped Severus.  
"I'm not dwelling on the past, Snape! I'm looking ahead and you lot certainly will not be in it. You sent me back to abusive people each year. I will never trust you; not with my life, anyway or anything else!" said Harry.   
"Potter, I'm offering you a way out. You can stay with me during the summers as well. You won't have to go back." said Severus.  
"Oh right, what, has Dumbledore said to talk you into this?! You hate my fucking guts." snapped Harry.  
"Actually, Harry, I didn't suggest this, Severus came to me this morning and told me his idea." said Dumbledore honestly.  
"And he was against it, but if I do want you to stay with me and you would like to stay there is nothing Dumbledore can do." said Severus softly.   
"You want me?" asked Harry, as he felt like he had stepped into another reality. This was so surreal; it couldn't be happening!  
"Yes, and not because you are the boy who lived, but because you are an abused child and I want to get to know the real Harry hidden away behind his masks of the golden boy." said Severus.  
"Well, I suppose I can see what it's like, you might hate me and yell at me, but at least I don't think you will beat me. I suppose I can give you a chance." said Harry, nodding his head.  
"Headmaster, I'm going to floo to my personal chambers. I want Harry and me to have a long talk, so excuse us." Snape then flooed both of them to his chambers.  
Severus showed Harry where he would be sleeping, Severus left him to it. Harry looked around the room, and he realized Snape must have been planning this since that night. It was Harry's dream room. The bed was a large, mahagony sleigh bed, with green and white sheets and comforters. The walls were the same as the rest of the place, dark brown, almost black. A nice, plush armchair sat by the fireplace, and a small desk say in the corner. A bookshelf stood opposite the door, and was completely bear.  
Even more so, when he opened a cupboard and saw a great many number of clothes his size and in the colors he liked, he was ecstatic. There were mostly green and black, but also blue. He also noticed some of the things he had looked at longingly over the years; things like candy, and even a teddy bear! Snape really had been watching and protecting him all these years if he had noticed he liked the new things cluttering his room.  
Tears began rolling down his face; he could not stop them even if he had wanted to. He had his first very own room; it was a lovely color and clothes that were his.  
Severus Snape had already done more for him in the span of five minutes than his relatives had done in his lifetime.  
Severus paused in the living room, his Potions journal falling shut as he focused on the strange noise. What was it? It was an odd noise, something he was not used to hearing in this part of the dungeons. He rose from his chair and stalked closer to the sound. He froze in surprise. Harry was crying. Whatever for? The boy shouldn't be crying. He nudged open the door to the boy's bedroom and peered in to find Harry collapsed on the ground in tears. Severus made a small noise in sympathy and entered the room. He knelt down beside his new ward. "Harry, it's going to be okay." Snape said softly. The child didn't respond and Snape sat on the floor to maneuver the child into a more comfortable position. Severus carded his hand through Harry's hair in a hope to comfort the teen. He was not surprised when the boy finally fell asleep with his head in Snape's lap.  
As he was brushing the younger man's hair, he though, 'If this is what this boy has never known, then he and I are more alike than either of us thought. It would seem the 'Boy-Who-Lived' is more different than anyone ever thought.'  
He inwardly chuckled at the irony of it all, and the thought of what everyone would do or think if they saw the great Harry Potter, defeater of Voldemort, and Severus Snape, the evil, greasy git of a Potions Master and ex- Death Eater, together as a family.  
Severus then grew grim; he would not let the world dictate who they were anymore. He was not going to be who they expected him to be, he was not going to let Harry go his whole life pretending to be who the world wanted him to be. It was time they both learned there was no point in life pretending. Otherwise their lives would just become jokes and not worth living at all.   
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_Author's Note: I don't care if you feel like I'm rushing. It's my fan fiction and I'll write it how I want! Severus and Harry are actually a bit nicer to each other (before all of this stuff happened) because the war was over and Severus no longer had to pretend because of his spying. If you want review responses, I'll do my best to put them in my Gaia Online (journal under the username 'Phantom of Hogwarts.' So, that's where you'll find those (you'll probably have to make an account; it's free, so do it!)). _

_I remain your obedient servant, __  
__H.G._


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter #2**

Severus Snape, after several painful minutes on the floor, stood painfully. He was surprised to find that the boy had managed to get a vice grip on his robes. Snape, deciding he was going to need his sleep, carefully, held the boy so he wouldn't awaken. He climbed into the large bed, as Harry managed to cuddle.

**--QUISH!--**

Harry woke the next morning to a wall of black. Memories of the day came rushing back to him like the Hogwarts Express (AN: Laugh now. It's supposed to be funny)

'Why are you doing this, sir? It feels wonderul to be held like this...It wouldn't hurt would it, to masquerade as a son?'

"Thank you, sir, for everything. I...I love you." Harry whispered this, half hoping the older man had heard him, the other half hoping he had not. Be that as it may, Harry had never felt like this, not even with Sirius. Thinking of that, though, made him wonder what his parents and Sirius would think. He made a mental note to ask Snape later. He fell asleep again.

**--QUISH!--**

Several hours later, Harry had bolted upright in his bed, causing Snape to awaken.

"Harry? What's wrong" Snape asked, no malice, just concern, in his tone of voice.

"Just a nightmare, sir. I'm fine." Harry said, and after a few minutes of silence, it was broken by Harry's stomach rumbling rather loudly.

"Hungry, Mr. Potter?" Snape asked, amused.

"Maybe a little." Harry looked up sheepishly.

"Follow me to the kitchen. Call a house elf, and tell it what you want to eat. I will do the same, after I freshen up a bit."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

"You have already thanked me, Mr. Potter. Now, go eat. I will be back." Harry nodded and called Dobby,

"Harry Potter, sir!" the elf squeaked, "What is it you is needing, Harry Potter?"

"Umm...Just a light meal alright, Dobby? Nothng heavy...Just some soup or something like that will be fine."

"Dobby will be right on it!" The little elf snapped his fingers and disappeared.

Several minutes later, Harry had a bowl of steaming beef stew. He immeadiately dug in. As he was in the middle of eating, Snape walked in and sat across from Harry. The man had called a house elf, and asked for beef stew as well. After a minute or two, they both decided to engage the other in conversation,

"So..."They began, but Harry beat Snape, and said, "Go ahead, professor."

"Very well then. How is your schoolwork fairing?"

"As well as can be expected I suppose, sir. Can you quit calling me, Mr. Potter? Call me Harry, please. I'd prefer that."

"Of course. I am pleased that you have managed to make it this far in Potions class, Harry. It seems you have learned something, doesn't it?"

Harry only grinned in response, and finished his stew,

"Professor?" he asked timidly.

"If we are alone, Harry, you may call me Severus. Oh, and do not be afraid to ask a question."

"Yes, si-Severus. I don't think I'll get used to that anytime soon. Anyway...Why do you care? Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Harry...Have you ever talked to anyone about your relatives?" Harry shook his head. Snape sighed, "Did they ever beat you? Tell the truth; I'll know if you lie."

"My cousin, Dudley, and his group of friends used to beat me up, and play 'Harry Hunting'. And after...after Sirius..." he let out a choked sob. He would not cry in front of Snape, no!

"Harry? Have you ever grieved before?" Snape had walked over to Harry, turned the boy's chair around and knelt so that their eyes met. Harry shook his head in the negative, and felt strong arms wrap around him. He felt himself crying, despite what his mind was saying. He sobbed into the black wall (that smelt like herbs and potions), whilst Snape rubbed soothing circles on his back and spoke comforting words to him.

They sat like that for several minutes before Harry continued, "When Unlce Vernon found out that Sirius had died, and I hadn't told him, he got mad. And to make matters worse, things had been going downhill where he works, and he just vented his anger out on me. Thank Merlin I was able to spend last summer here."

"Thank you for telling me, Harry. Those muggles _**will**_ be taken care of." Snape smirked, and got an evil glint in his eyes.

"No! Don't hurt them...Just don't worry about it. I'm fine, now, and that's what matters, right?"

Snape nodded, "Quite so. If that is what you want, Harry...Why don't you go freshen up yourself? There are clean clothes in your room."

'Your room...' Snape's voice reverberated through Harry's mind. His room...

He now had his own room. Harry Potter felt like the richest man in the world at that moment. He had a father, someone who cared and wasn't leaving anytime soon, a home, clothes that fit, a room...everything he had ever dreamed of.

**--QUISH!--**

'So...' Severus thought, 'My assumptions about Harry were true. Thank Merlin today signifys the start of Christmas break. I'll have to ask Harry if he'd like to stay here, since his friends are going home.'

Severus couldn't be happier; even though he didn't show it on his face, inside he was warm and fuzzy.

'Warm and fuzzy? Bloody hell, I've grown too damn soft and too damn sentimental!' Of course...the Headmaster would be so pleased! He, of course, thought this sarcastically.

He then began to contemplate what to get the child for Christmas. He'd have to get to know Harry first. Severus had a feeling they were going to play "20 Questions", but there would be a hell of a lot more than twenty questions. He sighed. He knew it would take awhile to play _**that**_ game.

He sighed again and waited. After thrity minutes, Harry (finally) came out of the bathroom.

"Harry, I want to get to know you better. You have heard of '20 Questions', yes?" At Harry's nod, he continued, "Let's play."

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_Author's Notes: Finally, I have updated. Everyone tell Gimpy (a.k.a moifah) 'Thank You' for typing this; otherwise, it would not be here. I have, most likely already started writing the next chapter; unless, of course, the Phantom is taking another break. Thank you for being here and reading this, regardless of how foolish my attempts are (-). Anyway...I'm hand-writing all of this in ultra fine point purple sharpie, which sucks. I fear being teased about writing this too, which is why Gimpy (a.k.a moifah) here, is typing._

_I remain your obeidant servant,_

_H.G._

_P.S. review, I want your praise, comments, constructive critisim (please, no flaming me), etc., etc. If you do not, a disaster beyond your imagination will occur._

_P.S.S. The disaster, I'm sure, you can guess. No updates, for the nitwits._


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